For many, fashion week is the ultimate fantasy; a mini-escape into an
alternative world of extravagant dressing and anything-goes makeup.
Thankfully, many of this season’s shows extolled the enduring virtues
of blown-out, audacious beauty looks, with runways awash with
neon eyes, seared cheeks and backcombed bouffants, all seemingly
shaped to pose the question, ‘Where’s the fun in the barely there?’
To complement the striking sartorial creations parading down
runways, backstage beauty teams opted for unreserved maximalism.
In New York, makeup artist Erin Parsons underscored Philipp
Plein’s gaudy designs with graphic, acid-bright eyeliner, while Tom
Pecheux conjured up dense, Twiggy-esque eyes for the models at
Brandon Maxwell by layering mascara and accentuating the lower
lashline with fine etches of liquid liner (proving more-more-more
can still be ultra-elegant).
And while NYFW might’ve taken place during the Big Apple
chill, the temperature was soaring backstage. After seasons of ‘subtle
flush’, rouge finally found favour again, with warm cheeks at Cushnie
et Ochs and Kate Spade New York. At the latter, makeup artist
Romy Soleimani created a sun-soaked effect by dusting excess rose
gold eye shadow across cheekbones. Pink cheeks were alla moda inMilan too, paired with brushed-up brows at Stella Jean, red lips at
Genny and pine-lime and pastel blue eye shadow at Moschino,
where beauty teams sought inspiration from the bouffant-wearing
game-show girls of The Price is Right.
Meanwhile, bold primary hues also proved popular in Paris, but
the focus was back on the eyes. The Leonard girl wore haphazard
orange eye shadow, while Mugler showcased shocking cobalt and Pat
McGrath buffed on lavender, red and emerald shades at Valentino.
At Giambattista Valli, Val Garland played with metallic falsies for
models’ lower lashlines, and even the tried-and-true winged eye had
a wider span this season, with sharper edges at Louis Vuitton and a
retro redux that was most notable across the English Channel at
Erdem. It was at the designer’s London show that Garland chan-
nelled the eponymous Hitchcock blonde with a futuristic take on
the cat’s-eye created with a Nars gel liner and inky velvet shadows.
Even the models at Molly Goddard, with comparatively minimal
kohl-lined lids, looked fresh thanks to the lived-in smudging along
the lower lashline — almost as if the wearer had shed a tear or two.
Perhaps they imagined a world without playful, expressive makeup?
Can’t say we blame them. – Kate LancasterMore is
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Clockwise from opposite page, top left: backstage at Leonard Paris A/W 2019; backstage at Kenzo A/W 2019; backstage at Moschino A/W 2019; M.A.C Eye
Shadow in Electric Eel, $33; Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, $34; Max Factor Contouring Stick Eyeshadow in Silver Storm & Midnight, $23;
backstage at Genny A/W 2019; Givenchy Limited Edition Khôl Couture Waterproof Eyeliner in Orange, $41; Fenty Beauty Vivid Liquid Eyeliner Trio in Baecae,
$49; backstage at Brandon Maxwell A/W 2019; Dior Diorshow Lash Extension Effect Volume Mascara in 090 Black, $56; backstage at Rodarte A/W 2019.
173 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU^ September 2019
BEAUTY